Rotary pump



F. C. BYRAM ROTARY PUMP June 27, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 20,1946 I N V EN TOR. ffftanr/cm 015 3071,

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F. C. BYRAM ROTARY PUMP June 27, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec 20,1946 Ill- I I I l .rlllllllllll/llldlll I N VEN TOR. Ffrae /o afMifolvfir wnr.

ATTORNEYS- Patented June 27, 1950 ROTARY PUMP Frederick Cameron Byram,Springfield, Ohio, assignor to Robbins & Myers, Inc., Springfield, Ohio,a corporation of Ohio Application December 20, 1946, Serial No. 717,401

4 Claims.

My invention relates to rotary pumps and is concerned principallywithprovision for pumps which without an added pressure system, may bearranged to be operated advantageously with stopping and startingswitches responsiveto pressure for their operation.

So far as I am advised there has been no effort in the past to design apump proper in such a way that within itself it carried a pressurechamber which could be employed for control of a pressure sensitivestopping and starting switch. In all cases with which I am familiar,some sort of pressure tank is added into the system in order to providefor this, which adds considerably to the cost of installation of pumps.

It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide anintegral pump unit, wherein no additional pressure tank facilities arerequired outside the pump casing proper, so that a pressure switchingdevice will be properly actuated. In such uses as for fresh drinkingwater (i. e. water pumped directly and immediately from the watersource) for residences, refreshment stands,

' rural service stations and the like, it is necessary that the pumpingdevice not be incorporated with tank facilities which involve largevolumes of additional equipment or be used with any size or yarrangement of additional equipment, thus providing the utmost inflexibility, standardization of models and resultant low costs.

It is the object of my invention to provide a horizontally arrangedpumpdevice where the motor can be directly coupled to the rotary elementof a rotary pump and at the same time to so provide that the exhaustside of the pump is into a chamber of considerable magnitude, with theoutlet from said chamber located down from the top sufliciently tomaintain an air space which is subject to compression. This requires inthe various types of pump using rotary impellers of one kind or another,for an extension either of the drive shaft or the supply ducts betweenthe intake and the pump proper so as to permit of the development of apressure zone of sufficient contents.

An ancillar object is the provision of a resilient inflated elementwithin such chamber to insure against the chamber becoming water boundby 7 absorption of air by the water being pumped.

I have shown several types of pumps in the appended drawings in order toillustrate the mode of application of my invention, but do not wish tobe limited to structures which are other than equivalent in nature tothose shown, to accomplish the invention which is set forth in theappended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal central vertical section through a pump ofthe Moineau type.

Figure 1a is a detail top plan view of the motor end of Figure 1.

Figure 2 is a like view through a turbine impeller type pump.

Figure 3 is a like view through a centrifugal impeller type.

The pumping units per se, as shown, are not here sought to be protected,as such.

Referring first to Figure 1, there is supplied a cylindrical casingsomewhat extended horizontally. At the intake end this casing isequipped with a dome 2, which is provided with a port 2a, and whichhouses an inlet strainer sleeve 3, there being a check valve 4 withinthe strainer. The particular pump illustrated in Figure 1 is of the typehaving internally and externally helically threaded pumping elements,the internally threaded element having one more thread than theexternally threaded element.

The casing I in this instance is cast with an end body 5 closing itexcept for a central opening. This body has a tapered sleeve portion 6integral with it; and within this sleeve is mounted the stator 1 of thepump. The stator and check valve construction are bolted to the end body5, as shown.

The rotor 8 of this pump is provided with a drive in the form of ahollow shaft 8a coupled by a universal Joint 9 with the rotor at itsdelivery end. The rotor is free at the intake end. This hollow shaft iscoupled by a universal joint H) with a shaft I l, which is the shaft ofa motor l2.

The motor I2 has its casing I3 formed with an end body It which isbolted to the casing I, to close the end of said casing except for theopening for the motor shaft. The motor shaft has ball bearings atl5,-whichserve to take up the thrust on the shaft, and sealing means l6are located about the opening where the shaft enters 3 below the top ofthe casing l, but above the point where the seal for the drive shaft islocated. The result is that when the pump is operated the chamber will.fill, except for a pocket. above the discharge opening which willcontain air. Thus a pressure sensitive switch element l9 may beconnected up to the casing i at Ma, and connected in the supply lines tothe driving motor. There will be sufllcient volume of compressible fluidto, operate the regular pressure sensitive switch to start and stop themotor, yet there will be practically no stale water delivered throughthe discharge when the pump goes into operation after a period of rest.

I have described the pump now briefly described in my application forLetters Patent, Serial No. 707,956 filed November 5, 1946 with whichthis case is co-pending.

As an additional precaution, where the water being pumped is such as todissolve or absorb air to an excessive amount, I will desirably locatewithin the casing i, an inflated ring of rubber or rubber-like materialas indicated at 28. In the illustrated instance I use the projection orsleeve member within which the stator is located to hold this ring, andkeep it in place with an end plate 2| mounted over the projection.Instead of a ring, a series of inflated elastic balls could simply belocated without restraint within the casing, or a flat inflatedarrangement of oval cross section could be used. The essential is awater impenetrable elastic, inflated structure which will supply apressure element to take the place of air, if the air naturally in thecasing is withdrawn and the casing tends to become water bound.

Reference is now made to Figure 2, which shows a turbine impeller. Inthis case the cylindrical casing is indicated at 30, with the pressuresensitive switch connection at 31. The same dome 32 having the part 32ais used at the one end of this casing, with the same strainer as at 33,and the same check valve at 34. In this instance the mounting of thedome and check valve casing are combined, as indicated.

As in the first noted pump, the casing 30 has an end body 35 whichcloses it except for an opening 38 which is surrounded by an internallythreaded sleeve 31, integral with the end body.

The sleeve 31 is fitted with a pipe as which extends across the bottomof the casing to the housing of the pump proper. This housing is formedby flanges in the end of the casing 30, and on the end body of the motorcasing. The motor casing as shown at 39 has an end body 40, and asupport 4| for a ball thrust bearing a for the motor shaft 42.

The end body 40 when bolted up to the end of the casing 30 will form theimpeller annular chamber 43 for the pump. A rotary seal 43a is arrangedover the motor shaft where it projects through the end body 40. On theshaft is mounted the impeller 44, with the buckets 45 on its periphery,said buckets traversing thechamber 43.

The intake to the chamber 43 is from the intake projection 45 in whichthe end of the pipe 38 is seated. The discharge from the chamber 43 intothe casing 30 is indicated by dotted lines at 41, entering the casing 30behind the intake projection in the illustrated showing.

It will be noted that in this instance the casing l is developed as along chamber by extending the intake line from the check valve acrossthe casing instead of locating the pump proper close to the intake andextending the drive shaft across the casing.

As in the first instance the discharge opening 48 from the casing isbelow the top thereof to leave a pressure chamber whereby the switchwill operate to supply and cut oif current from the motor. I

The third form illustrated 5B, dome 5|, strainer 52, and check valve 53,and port 52a. The casing end body 54 has a central hole surrounded by anintegral sleeve 55 which is internally threaded for the pump intake pipe56. This pipe extends across the casing to supply the length required,to the pump proper.

The volute casing 51 for the pump is developed in the end body 58 of thecasing 50, in this instance, supplemented by the end body 59 of themotor casing 60, and opens into the casing 50 through the orifice 51a.The pipe 56 is provided with a rotary seal GI and abuts the wall aboutthe central opening in the centrifugal impeller 62. A rotary seal 63protects the entrance of the motor shaft through the end body 59 intothe volute casing.

The seals shown are all alike and can be of any style, the one shownbeing a commercial bellows or diaphragm type in which the Spring elementholds a friction ring on a seat, with respect to which the ringrevolves. As in the other forms, the discharge outlet from the casing 50at 64 is below the top of the casing and above the level of the seals.The pressure sensitive switch connection is at 65.

In these three forms, either the pumping element is located at one endof a discharge casing of substantial size and the drive shaft isextended or the intake into the pump is extended through a pipepermitting the pumping element to be on the far side of the dischargecasing. In other words, the interconnection of the pumping element withits source of power and intake supply is so arranged that the distancebetween the in take of the pump and the point of entry of the driveshaft into the casing is substantially ex tended, thus leaving adischarge chamber of substantial lengthwise dimension, permitting theaccumulation of a substantial pocket of comembodies a casing pressed airin the discharge chamber above the discharge outlet. When coupled with apressure sensitive switch device, this will serve adequately for freshwater systems in particular, without any pressure tank, and in anysystem to save the cost of tanks and connections, as well as avoidingthe use of space which cannot be provided in connection with location ofthe pump at a convenient point. Finally the entire device requires aminimum of technical skill in installation, the only requirements beingto bolt down the pump and connect up the piping. I prefer to useordinary hose couplings {or the intake and discharge ports, thus cuttingdown vibration and simplifying the problem of coupling the pump into asystem.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patcut is:

1. In combination a pneumatic pressure switch operated pump having acasing with an intake opening, a pumping element Within the casingoperating to discharge fluid into a chamber within said casing, thechamber being of a size to retain a substantial amount of the fluidbeing pumped, a discharge opening from said chamber located in the upperportion below the top thereof so as to develop a body of air above thelevel of fluid in the chamber, and an elastic inflated element locatedwithin the chamber and impervious to the fluid being pumped, saidelement providing an auxiliary body of air to be subjected tocompression, to provide a safe minimum pressure for pneumatic pressureswitch operation regardless of lack of air within the discharge chamberexternal to said elastic element.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein means are provided to restrainmovement of said elastic body in said chamber.

3. An electric motor driven, pneumatic pressure switch operated pump,comprising in axial alignment a ventilated motor chamber, a centralchamber having a discharge port below the level 01' the ceiling of saidchamber to constitute a discharge and pneumatic storage chamber, and asuction chamber, an electric motor in said motor chamber having a shaftextending into said central chamber, a helical pumping mechanism navinga rotor and stator in said central chamber, a connecting rod connectingsaid motor shaft with said rotor, a suction port in said suctionchamber, seal means to prevent fluid flow from said central chamber toeither said motor chamber or said suction chamber, and an elasticinflated element located within the central chamber and impervious tothe fluid being pumped, said element providing an auxiliary body of airto be subjected to compression, to-provide a safe minimum pressure forpneumatic pressure switch operation regardless of lack of air within thecentral chamber external to said elastic element.

4. A pump according to claim 3 wherein means are provided to restrainmovement of said elastic body in said central chamber.

FREDERICK CAMERON BYRAM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

